1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image pickup apparatus and a method of manufacturing the same. More specifically, the present invention relates to an image pickup apparatus with excellent optical characteristics as well as high reliability, and to a method of efficiently manufacturing the image pickup apparatus in large quantities.
2. Description of the Related Art
Electronic devices such as digital cameras and camera-mounted cellular phones have an image pickup apparatus that is equipped with, for example, an image pickup device such as a charge coupled device (CCD). Such an image pickup apparatus has been required to be reduced in size and weight; therefore, optical components such as the image pickup device and lens are housed in a plastic package.
The form in which optical components such as an image pickup device and lens are housed in a plastic package—a structure obtained by sealing them with resin—is disclosed, for example, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-173947, which shows a structure formed by arranging a glass lens, which is convex on one side, on the light receiving part of a CCD chip fixed to a lead frame and by performing molding with the convex lens protruded from the resin.
Meanwhile, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-311812 discloses as another configuration of the image pickup apparatus a structure in which on an image pickup device fixed onto a wiring board an imaging lens part, similarly fixed onto the wiring board, is provided, in which a light shielding cover with an aperture and a filter are provided on the light-receiving side of the imaging lens part, and in which the circumferential surfaces of the light shielding cover and imaging lens part are covered with a resin mold.
In the image pickup apparatus disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-173947, the amount (height) of the lens protruding from the resin-sealed part is set high. Thus, upon performing resin molding, for example, the shape of a mold needs to be so designed that sealing resin never comes in contact with the lens protrusion part, and the resultant image pickup apparatus needs to be handled carefully so as not to damage the lens protrusion part.
Meanwhile, in the image pickup apparatus disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-311812 resin molding is performed after attaching the light shielding cover and filter onto the imaging lens part. For this reason, it is highly likely that an increase in temperature during the resin molding process undesirably reduces the bonding strength between the imaging lens part and the light shielding cover or filter, or causes mechanical damage to them.
Moreover, a mold corresponding to the shape and thickness (height) of a light shielding cover or filter needs to be prepared for resin molding, making it difficult to realize mass production of image pickup apparatuses and to reduce the manufacturing cost.
In addition, optical glasses, such as IR-cut glass, are generally used in order to improve the optical characteristics of image pickup devices. However, providing optical glass between an image pickup device and a lens will cause, for example, the following problem: air expands with heat in reflow molding, and the optical glass is pressurized by the expanded air and undesirably falls off.
Accordingly, the provision of both an image pickup apparatus with excellent optical characteristics as well as high reliability, and a method capable of efficiently manufacturing the image pickup apparatus in large quantities has been awaited.
An object of the present invention is to solve the foregoing conventional problems and to achieve the following object: an object of the present invention is to provide an image pickup apparatus which can be miniaturized, and has excellent optical characteristics as well as high reliability, and a method of manufacturing an image pickup apparatus, which is capable of efficiently manufacturing the image pickup apparatus in large quantities.